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Status: 09/02/2021 7:59 pm
A good six months ago, the United Arab Emirates sent a probe to Mars into space. Now, the first interplanetary space mission of an Arab state has reached a major milestone.
A Mars probe from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has entered orbit around Mars. The “Al-Amal” (Hope) probe has entered orbit, said the mission’s project manager, Omran Sharaf. The probe was launched on July 20, 2020 from the Japanese space center Tanegashima.
“Mission accomplished,” Prime Minister Mohammed bin Raschid al-Maktoum wrote on Twitter. “Al-Amal” is the first space probe in an Arab country. It’s supposed to collect climate data from the red planet. Earlier, the current ruler of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Sajid al-Nahjan, wrote in a tweet about a “historic mission of the United Arab Emirates.”
At 121,000 kilometers per hour through space
“Al-Amal” is intended to help capture the first complete picture of the Martian climate for a full year on the planet. The 1,350-kilogram space probe, which is about the size of an off-road vehicle, is supposed to observe the atmosphere, weather changes, and changing seasons. In its seven-month journey, it traveled 450 million kilometers and flew through space at about 121,000 kilometers per hour.
The launch of the launcher with “Al-Amal” on board on July 20, 2020 from the Japanese space center Tanegashima. The spacecraft covered 450 million kilometers on its way to Mars.
Image: AFP
The representatives of the Emirati space agency describe the movement of the probe towards the orbit of Mars as the “most decisive and complex” maneuver of the mission. To do this, the probe had to slow down enough to be captured by the gravity of Mars. Then it took about 15 minutes for the signal from the successful mission to reach Earth.
The maneuver is believed to have consumed half of Al-Amal’s fuel. The probe should now orbit Mars in 40 days. After just under two months, “Hope” will start collecting scientific data.
Also probes from China and the US on the way.
“Al-Amal” is the first of three space missions scheduled to reach Mars this month. “Tianwen-1”, a probe-rover duo from China, will arrive on Wednesday. In a week the capsule “Perseverance” from the US space agency NASA is expected. The three took off a few days apart last July, in a window of time for takeoffs to Mars that opens only every two years.
The Emirates are continuing their space program. A lunar mission is also planned for the year 2024, during which an unmanned spacecraft will lift off for the Earth’s satellite and land there in a previously unexplored area.
The first interplanetary space mission of an Arab state has great symbolic power. In addition to scientific knowledge and positive effects on the economy, the Emirates also hope to improve the image. The disastrous human rights situation in the Gulf state is repeatedly the focus of international criticism.
